Several provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or “Obamacare”) were supposed to commence on January 1, but were delayed by the White House until the beginning of 2015. But the provision requiring all Americans, including freelance writers, to be covered by some kind of health insurance remains on schedule for next year.

A survey conducted by Cigna asked 250 self-employed American about various aspects of health insurance and how it affects them. Nearly one-quarter did not have health insurance at all, with 82 percent of them saying money was the main reason they didn’t. A provision of the ACA calls for the creation of insurance exchanges so people can choose a plan that fits their needs and budget, similar to how www.internetproviders.com helps people find broadband for their homes. But one of the largest writers unions in America don’t believe that is enough for its members, and is taking things a step further.

Freelancers Union Fighting Back

The New York City-based Freelancers Union is a non-profit organization that provides health insurance to 23,000 New York freelancers and dental, life and disability to writers nationwide. The organization’s website says its 220,000-plus writers, photographers and designers pool their money together to buy the plans. This results in individual coverage that is far less expensive than if it were purchased on the open market. Sara Horowitz, the founder of the organization, not only won a MacArthur Foundation award for creating it, but was even invited to the White House in 2009 for recognition of her work.

But the mutual admiration soon changed to turmoil. The ACA will force the Freelancers Union to open its coverage to anyone and everyone, not just freelancers and members of the union. Reform provisions would also force many in the union to forgo subsidies from the government if they stay on the plan, which would rise to a universal price. Horowitz told Forbes in 2009 that the entire ACA is contrary to President Barack Obama’s promise to allow people to stay on their current plan if they so chose.

This was all said before the Freelancers Union received more than $170 million in loans from the federal government in 2012 to create a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (Co-Op) to provide health coverage to unaffiliated customers. Horowitz told Crain’s New York Business the Co-Op will allow her union to compete with large insurance companies. She also successfully pushed for members of the union to be exempted from federal mandates, which has drawn the ire of several New York businesses.

Conflicts of Interest

The New York state Senate and Assembly have both passed a bill exempting the Freelancers Union and its members from individual mandates of the ACA through at least 2014. But other businesses and organizations in the state say the law is unfair to them and plays favorites. One official from the insurance industry, according to Buzzfeed, called Horowitz a “hypocrite” for taking federal money but still trying to exempt her union members from the law. Senator Kemp Hannon, R-Nassau County, said freelancers are a “valuable” asset to the state and he wants to do whatever he can to protect that resource.

The bill now awaits the signature of Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has not indicated his position on it.

Writing for a living means, by necessity, keeping your eyes constantly glued on your monitor, laptop or tablet for many hours each day. Given the implied risks of having strained eyes, taking the time to treat them nicely can only help you to avoid nasty side effects of eye strain, which is very important for us writers and bloggers. [Read more…]

While our elected officials squabble over the future of our health insurance, millions are living without any coverage. We can only speculate how new legislation will affect our coverage (if we’re fortunate enough to have any). If all goes well, the government will bring down the cost of health insurance through employers and make policies for freelancers more affordable (please, don’t laugh too hard at the thought of the government really helping out the working class).

There are some things we can do to keep ourselves healthy: eat better and exercise instead of snacking in front of the computer all day. But, a healthy lifestyle can only go so far—we still need preventive medical coverage. We should all see a doctor for regular check-ups. And we need some insurance to ensure that seeing a doctor in case of an emergency won’t cost us an arm and a leg (which the hospital will gladly amputate for an excessive fee).

For some of us, health insurance isn’t a great concern as we may be covered by our spouses’ policies. Let this be the first lesson to all freelancers: marry someone with a stable job and health insurance. Unfortunately, even coverage through a spouse’s policy can be expensive—my wife’s insurance bill more than doubles when I am added to it (and it wasn’t cheap to begin with).

For the freelancers who aren’t covered by spouses, there is still hope. You don’t have to work a full-time job to purchase health insurance—the insurers are more than happy to take your money no matter what your employment status is. If your freelance career doesn’t depend on you living in a certain area, you may want to consider moving to town that has lower insurance premiums (such as outside the New York/New Jersey area).

The quickest way to check on health insurance quotes is to go to eHealthInsurance.com. All you need to do is type in your ZIP code, date of birth, gender, student status, and whether or not you’re a smoker. The site will bring you some quotes from major health insurers in your area. You can choose the kind of coverage you’d like as well. For example, a full-coverage policy for a healthy 30-year-old male in New Jersey would cost almost $200 per month (plus $30 co-pay). However, you need to realize that the price quoted on the site may not be the actual cost—you may still need to go through more screening for a policy, which may involve a physical exam. (Note: GoHealthInsurance.com will just take you to quotes on the eHealthInsurance site.)

Another option to individual private insurance is to join a freelancers organization that offers insurance plans to its members. You have to apply to join these organizations and pay annual dues before you can join the health plans. Be sure to research the organizations to find which one suits you best; don’t just look at the health insurance as a selling point.

The Editorial Freelancers Association offers a few health insurance options depending on your needs and location. The plans start at $400 per month. There is also a discount medical plan (not insurance) for $242 per year for a household.

The National Writers Union currently only has a HIP plan for New York residents, but is looking to expand coverage across the U.S. with two prospective plans in the works.

The National Writers Association has insurance plans through Health Choice One with various carriers around the country, and the cost of the plans depends on your location, age, and current health condition.

Freelancers can contact the organizations for more detailed information on health insurance policies for individual needs.